Guitar players use effector pedals, also known as effects pedals, to produce sound effects such as delay, chorus, reverb and the like. The guitar connects to the effects pedal and then to an audio amplifier. The effects pedal has one or more control knobs disposed thereon for controlling and adjusting parameters of the sound effects. These control knobs are typically fitted to a spindle of a potentiometer during manufacture of the effects pedal and are finger (i.e., hand) operated. Thus, in order to control the sound effects of the effects pedal, guitar players must reach down (since the effects pedal is situated on the floor) and use their fingers to turn the control knobs, thereby releasing their fingers from the guitar.
A guitar player may adjust parameters of the sound effects at an interval during a live performance. However, the inability to adjust sound effect parameters during performance limits the usefulness of the effects pedal.
Some manufacturers have converted the effects pedal into an effects unit that is disposed inside the guitar. For example, in the 1970's, Saint Louis Music Company manufactured an electric guitar, called the Electra, including in-guitar effectors. The Electra included knobs and switches mounting on top of the guitar body to control the effects unit. Though the inclusion of an in-guitar effects unit improved the player's ability to make adjustments to the sound effects during a performance, the control knobs and switches on the front of the guitar body cluttered its appearance. To use the in-guitar effects unit, the player must still use their fingers to manipulate the knobs on the guitar, thereby releasing control of their instrument.